In September, espnWs weekly essay series will focus on college football.On Oct. 17, 2009, I was at the wedding of one of my closest friends in a town just outside Columbus, Ohio. It was a Saturday wedding, and as we filed into the church, many people reluctantly turned off their phones. Ohio State, ranked in the top 10 and undefeated in the Big Ten, was playing Purdue University.The Buckeyes were big favorites to win, but as I sat in the church my attention was divided -- I could hear the vows, but I was breaking the rules, constantly refreshing my phone. I couldnt believe what I was seeing. The Buckeyes led when the bride walked down the aisle, but as the wedding played out, a great season was slipping away.We lost to the lowly, unranked Boilermakers and I was devastated, holding the secret as the ceremony finished.I put on a fake smile and headed down to the reception with the rest. People started opening their phones and inevitably, the first question the groom asked when we got downstairs was, Did Ohio State win? Several people shouted at once, No, they lost -- to which the groom responded, This is the worst day of my life.He received a quick death stare from the bride, and I added another rule to my growing list of things to avoid on game day: Never, ever get married during an Ohio State game.***Growing up in northern Ohio, we didnt have a professional football team to cheer for. This was when the Browns had moved to Baltimore, and even before that, they didnt give anyone in Cleveland much to cheer about.I can remember how fall Saturdays were about Buckeye football, and I had the scarlet and grey striped knee socks to prove it. Sure, wed miss games with soccer matches and school activities, but my favorite question of the day was, Did the Buckeyes win?The majority of the time the answer was yes.When it came time to choose a college, Ohio State was considered. I had never attended a game in person and the chance to go every Saturday was a dream come true. But the football team alone cant dictate a college choice, and I attended another university in Ohio where I still rooted for the Buckeyes every Saturday.?After college, I moved to Chicago, a Big Ten melting pot and -- true statement here -- the best city in America to watch a college football game. Walk around the North Side on a Saturday and every bar has a flag hanging -- Iowa, Purdue, Michigan, Sparty, Ohio State. I quickly found the top three places to watch an Ohio State game along with every other crazy Ohio fan. Every Saturday, I bribed my friends to get in line as early as 6 a.m. for a noon game, because I had to ensure we had the exact same seats (Im superstitious).Eventually, I left Chicago and moved to New York City where again, one of my top priorities was tracking down the perfect Ohio State bar and reconnecting with old Buckeyes friends. A good development: The bars in New York took reservations, and I was able to catch a couple of extra hours of sleep before game day.When my husbands job took us to Connecticut, one of my first questions was, where will we watch Ohio State games? For the most part, we watch them at home, with our dog, Brutus. Yes, Brutus is named after the Ohio State mascot. We cook, put him in a jersey, text with friends and family, and l live and die with each outcome.?Two years ago, Ohio State kicked-off the season in Baltimore, which is only five hours away, closer than any Big Ten locale outside of Rutgers. We drove down for the weekend to catch the game, along with most of the state of Ohio. It was a young team, and after starting quarterback Braxton Miller got hurt during camp, we had a freshmen quarterback leading a young team, and diminished expectations. For most of the first half, we were losing to Navy, and at halftime my husband joked, If this team makes it to the National Championship, well go.I laughed.Watching this team, I knew there was no chance, and while we managed to beat Navy, we lost at home to Virginia Tech the following week. However, this was the first year of the College Football Playoff, and what we couldnt know then was that one loss -- even a bad loss -- doesnt mean youre out.Each week that Ohio State team continued to find a way to win games, even late in the year when it had to start its third-string quarterback running the show after yet another injury. When we somehow squeaked into the playoff, it was somewhat bittersweet. There was Alabama, touchdown favorites, playing in the heart of SEC country. I figured it was the end of the road for this team. Somehow, they found a way. As the game finished, I looked at my husband and said, Whos booking our trip to Dallas?Going to the National Championship had always been a dream of mine and when we walked into that stadium, I had a feeling Ohio State was going to win, despite coming in as underdogs. When they did, and without a lot of suspense, really, I looked at my husband and proclaimed, This was the best day of my life.Later, he gave me a framed photo of our picture at that game next to a picture of us on our wedding day. He wrote, Glad I was able to be a part of the two best days of your life -- I promise I wont ask you to rank them. Of course, we made sure our wedding was in August.No surprise losses to be sad about.At the start of the season, every college football fan hopes this is the year for their team. Im fortunate to have had the opportunity to see my team win a National Championship, but Ill be honest, it only makes you want it to win more.For me, college football is about more than the game itself. Its what connects me back to where I come from. Because no matter where I live, I will always be a buckeye and Ohio will always be my home. Megan Rapinoe Jersey . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. Alex Morgan Jersey . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. http://www.officialsocceruswntshop.com/Julie-Ertz-Usa-Jersey/ . Ibaka equaled a career high with 20 rebounds, adding four blocked shots and 15 points as the Thunder smothered the Milwaukee Bucks offence in a 92-79 victory Saturday night. Abby Smith USA Jersey . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. Abby Dahlkemper Jersey . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Auston Matthews naturally slowed down a bit after scoring four goals in his phenomenal NHL debut.The Maple Leafs first overall pick is still on top of a league-wide youth wave thats only picking up speed.From Toronto to Arizona, teenagers and rookies had a major impact throughout hockey during the first month of the season.As November began, 19-year-old Edmonton captain Connor McDavid was tied for the league lead in points, while Matthews and 18-year-old Winnipeg sensation Patrik Laine both had a share of the leagues goal-scoring lead. Toronto forward William Nylander was similarly prolific, winning the NHLs rookie of the month award.Two straight bumper crops of youngsters are changing the game with precocious speed and skill. Theyre also bringing hope to frustrated fan bases across the continent -- particularly north of the border, where some of the best talent is taking flight.The generation thats taking over is a new one, in my opinion, said Oilers coach Todd McLellan, who coached McDavid, Matthews and several other top youngsters at the World Cup of Hockey. They havent played under the old clutch-and-grab rules. They never were exposed to it. Theyve always played free hockey. ... Theyre fast, and they like playing that way.Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr were in attendance when McDavid and Matthews had their first head-to-head meeting Tuesday night in the biggest showcase yet for the leagues young stars. While neither No. 1 pick scored in Torontos 3-2 overtime win over Edmonton, its clear they could be fighting for Art Ross trophies and Stanley Cup titles for years to come.Its not just Auston, and its not just Connor, Gretzky told reporters in Toronto. Theres some good young players on both teams, and expectations go up with that.Indeed, the 2015-16 campaign produced a banner crew of rookies league-wide, including McDavid, Buffalos Jack Eichel and Philadelphia defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. Chicago left wing Artemi Panarin, who turned 25 this week, scored 77 points in 80 games to beat out McDavid for the Calder Trophy.The new group appears to be equally promising. Matthews, Laine and Nylander appear to be ready for immediate stardom, while several other rookies have stepped into big roles.But for clear star potential, nobody tops McDavid and Matthews, who could be at the start of parallel career paths with similarities to the roads traveled by Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, who broke into the NHL together as No. 1 picks in 2005.McDavid is no longer a rookie despite missing nearly half of last season with a broken collarbone, but hes still a teenager until January. Matthews just turned 19 after spending last year playing pro hockey in Switzerland, and he spent plenty of time with McDavid at the World Cup.Hes a good guy, McDavid said of Matthews. I get along with him. I definitely dont consider him a rival. ... Hes definitely not a guy that needs advice. Hes got a good head on his shoulders, and hes got a lot of confidence as well, so you dont really need to tell him anything.Signs of this youth explosion were obvious in September, when that 23-and-under Team North America captivated the World Cup with its up-tempo, exciting brand of play.It was a fun time playing with a bunch of guys who were kind of your age and really competing hard, Matthews said.While McDavid has the yooung Oilers off to a promising start, no city has more blue-chip talent than Toronto, the epicenter of hockey and the home of the perennially frustrating Maple Leafs.ddddddddddddAlthough the standings still dont look great, coach Mike Babcock is giving significant playing time to six rookies -- including two of the highest-scoring newcomers in the game.Nylander, who had four goals and seven assists in his first nine NHL games, got a jump-start on this fall with 22 games for the Leafs last season. Matthews is probably the most tantalizing player in the sport, and he had the top-selling jersey in the NHLs online store last month.Three more Toronto rookies -- defenseman Nikita Zaitsev and forwards Mitch Marner and Connor Brown -- already look comfortable in the league. The gifted Marner would be the most talked-about player in Toronto if it wasnt for his two teammates lighting up scoreboards ahead of him.Laine was a 7-year-old Finnish kid when Ovechkin broke in with Washington, and he grew up idolizing the Russian star. The No. 2 overall pick last summer is off to a fantastic start in North America, scoring six goals in his first nine games with ferocity and flair.A surprising name was right behind Laine early on the rookie scoring lists: Travis Konecny, the smallish first-round pick who made the Flyers opening-night roster along with teenage Russian defenseman Ivan Provorov. Both rookies have stuck in Philadelphia, and Konecny had seven points in his first 10 games.Youre playing against men out there, Konecny said. Its definitely a little bit of an adjustment, but Im slowly getting used to it. The first few games, I felt like there was no time for me on the ice, but Ive been making room for myself and allowing myself to make more plays.BY THE NUMBERSA remarkable nine rookies averaged at least 0.67 points per game while playing in at least five games in October. Some of the kids making a major impact include:- Jimmy Vesey, the New York Rangers forward who signed as a free agent out of Harvard and immediately backed up his Hobey Baker Award credentials with five goals in October.- Michael Matheson, the 22-year-old Florida Panthers defenseman taking key roles on both ends.- Jakob Chychrun, the 18-year-old Florida native getting a regular role on the Arizona Coyotes blue line.- Zach Werenski, the 19-year-old Blue Jackets defenseman with six points in his first seven NHL games -- and surviving as a Michigan man in Columbus.STREAKINGArtem Anisimov has a career-high point streak of eight games after getting a goal and an assist in Chicagos 5-1 win over Calgary on Tuesday night.SLUMPINGThe Los Angeles Kings havent scored a goal in three straight games after their 4-0 trouncing by Anaheim in the Freeway Faceoff on Tuesday night.LEADERSGoals, Anisimov (Chicago) and Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay), 7; Points, Anisimov, 13; Time on ice, Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg), 28:49; Wins, Cam Talbot (Edmonton), 7.GAME OF THE WEEKThe rematch of the Stanley Cup Final is Saturday night when Pittsburgh visits San Jose at the Shark Tank. Both conference champions are off to strong starts again this fall.---AP sports writers Dan Gelston and Stephen Whyno contributed to this report. ' ' '